Even after meeting, Moulton, Pelosi still at odds over speakership

Wednesday

“No one wants to see this civil conversation spill into a floor fight. Right now, Leader Pelosi will not have the 218 votes necessary to become Speaker,” says Congressman Seth Moulton.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi overwhelmingly clenched the speaker nomination when the Democratic House Caucus voted on its new leadership for the 116th Congress Wednesday.

And moments after that vote, Rep. Seth Moulton sent out a press release, saying the San Francisco Democrat still does not possess the necessary vote count on Jan. 3, when the entire House votes on the next speaker. In order to earn the speaker gavel, she needs to capture 218 members’ votes.

Moulton released his statement after he met with Pelosi before the Democratic House Caucus convened. Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio and Rep. Kathleen Rice of New York, fellow Democrats calling for new leadership in the party, joined in on the afternoon meeting.

“I am disappointed to report that no agreement was reached in this initial meeting,” said Moulton. Moulton says negotiations failed because the Democratic leadership has not put forward a transition plan to allow “a new generation of leadership” to take over in the future. He points out Pelosi’s “three-person leadership team has been unchanged in 11 years.”

That team constitutes a septuagenarian trio: Pelosi and Reps. Steny Hoyer of Maryland and James Clyburn of South Carolina, whose re-elections as House Democratic leadership every two years has drawn frustration from Moulton.

Moulton also reiterated their challenge to the current leadership “has always been bigger than any one individual.”

“It is about having a conversation, as a party, about what our future looks like and how our leadership can best reflect the House we have just won,” he said. “The private sector, non-profit organizations, even the Republican Party, have been able to have the difficult conversations about what a plan for succession looks like.”

As of Tuesday, 16 members have signed a letter pledging not to vote for Pelosi. The letter continues to be circulated among incoming and returning members.

“No one wants to see this civil conversation spill into a floor fight. Right now, Leader Pelosi will not have the 218 votes necessary to become speaker,” said Moulton. “We are hopeful Leader Pelosi will invite us back to the table to plan for the future success of the Democratic Party.”